Leave the Show - Song Explanation

         It's been a while since I've posted one of these, mostly because I've been off in Louisville reading and studying every waking moment instead of playing guitar and holding up peace signs and wearing tie dye shirts like I was made to do... But with the rousing success of my concert and album drop the other night, I figured I should probably answer the burning questions on everyone's minds. Questions such as "Where do you come up with this stuff," "What are your greatest inspirations," and "What does 'Yachachachacha' mean, anyway?" I mean, music has always been a big, giant, sweltering part of my life, whatever that means, and to be able to get back into it these past few days has been a real treat with all the other craziness going on around me. So I thought I'd revive the series where I take a song that I've written, explain the circumstances surrounding its inception and writing, make a humorous observation or two, try to explain my loose grasp of music, and conclude with a few laments about the current state of Contemporary Christian Music, and how if they would only give me a chance I could get things back to the days where people with actual talent were popular and given the range to explore artistically. But enough about all that, in case you've forgotten the format (which I certainly have), I'll first give you the lyrics to the song so you don't have to try and discern it from my singing voice, which is famously unintelligible, then I'll hit you with as much of the musical side of things as I'm currently able to explain (basically the level of a middle school music class), then I'll go into an explanation of how I came up with the idea and what guided me in the writing process... Sound good? Well it doesn't matter what you think, because I'm already doing it, and you can't stop me...

Lyrics:

Chasing perfection, leads to pretension, “Come on, put on a show,” oh,

“Tell them you’re flawless, don’t let your lawless, deeds ever be made known,” no,

Everything’s great, oh they take the bait, hook line and sinker, though,

Try as I might I don’t feel quite right, this can’t be the way to go, no,

I long for something real… Something deeper,

More than just a feeling, more than words,

More than just good deeds, more than surface,

More than what I seem, this new person,

Could never come from me, I’m too frail, time and again I fail…

Turn on the lights, roll out the cameras, everyone ready, action,

Time to be perfect I sure can work it, give me the lines I’ll act ‘em,

Sweep all the bad stuff, underneath that rug, no need to see the facts,

Become a vision, of false religion, my conscience has been sapped, oh,

I long for something true… Something worthwhile,

More than what I do, not lip service,

And not a cross tattoo, more than works, I,

Need something brand new, a new birth, that,

Could only come from You, You’re so grand, take my hand…

It’s time to leave the show, time to go, cross before, world behind, feel His grace, see His face,

Cease to strive, He revives, I’m alive!

And I lay down all my burdens, ‘cause I’m alive,

And I know I’ll never earn it, but I’m alive,

And I’ll never be quite perfect, but I’m alive,

And who cares what this world thinks, ‘cause I’m alive,

Oh Jesus took my sin now, I’m alive,

Oh death where is your sting when I’m alive,

And I lay down hypocrisy ‘cause I’m alive,

No more pretense with me, now I’m alive…

 
Music: My musical "idea," as it were, for this song was to make one of those old show tunes from the 50's or whenever they made old show tunes, but one that felt just a little off. I wanted it to not sound quite right in some way, even though it could be taken as jolly and melodic. This was supposed to be symbolic of something I think, but who knows... How did I accomplish this? Again, I have no idea how music actually works, I just know that some things sound pretty good to me, and so I had a little "cutesy" melody in my head, and so I picked it out on the piano, but played chords behind it that didn't necessarily match up. This gave me the kind of tension I was looking for, and made me feel like a real musician who was doing real groundbreaking stuff, but I'm sure Beethoven was doing similar things long before I was even a twinkle in my Daddy's eye, and he was deaf, or so I've heard (he certainly hasn't...). Anyways, after that it was a simple chorus in the key of C that provided the stability and reality I was searching for in the verses, or whatever. You know, I should really get some real musician to analyze these things at some point, maybe they could explain what I did and why I did it, I just made a song I thought sounded pretty all right.

Lyrics: The idea for the song itself came before I had written any of the music. I knew I wanted to write a song about hypocrisy. I had just heard about the Duggars and how they had forever soiled the good name of all "J" families in the world with some salacious scandal or another, and it got me to thinking. Here was supposedly the perfect Christian family. They had a television show that I didn't particularly like, but I at least respected the way they seemed to stand for something. And yet one of them was a huge hypocrite who paraded himself as a paragon of morality and purity, and expected others to do the same. And it got me to thinking, could that be me?
        I'm a pastor's kid, born and raised. My biggest scandal was getting pulled off the stage at our Children's Choir recital because I danced too fervently to a Donut Man song. I have a clean record (save the occasional speeding ticket, but I gave the officer my best "this is going to completely ruin my day" face, so it's his fault that he still gave me the ticket), I have a squeaky clean reputation (even though I can be more of a "free spirit" than some of the students at Southern, in that I occasionally don't put gel in my hair or wear a sport coat), but I'm not a squeaky clean guy. I have sin. I have the same struggle Paul alluded to in Romans 7 where the good that I want to do I do not, and what I hate I do. I lose battles with temptation all the time, and I'm not proud of that. Does that make me a hypocrite?
        I think Paul's answer to the question, by the direction of the Holy Spirit, comes at the end when he asks in exasperation "Who will save me from this body of death?" and immediately answers his own question "Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!" I'm not perfect. That doesn't mean I stop trying, but it does mean that I stop fooling myself and others. It means that I admit my mistakes and confess to God and to fellow believers and others whom I've wronged. It means that I work on my relationship with God every day, trying to gain wisdom and be transformed by the renewing of my mind. It means that I'm dead to sin and alive to Christ, and that the old life is gone and I can go forward with my new life without having to pretend that I'm something I'm not.
       Hypocrisy is easy to fall into. But it's also easy to snap out of if we'll only be honest, if we'll only seek something true and real and find it in Jesus Christ. He had His harshest words for the hypocrites who insisted that they needed no healing, but had his most compassionate words for broken sinners who knew they needed the greatest physician of all. I want to stay humble, keep seeking God, and never try to present my life as something perfect, but as something that can be used by my good God for His Kingdom and glory, however frail and weak I may be by myself. His Son living through me can accomplish far more than I ever could by acting like I'm better than I am.

Listen/Watch:

Here's the link to the song on Souncloud, and if you weren't able to pick up a copy of the album, I have some left just for you!

https://soundcloud.com/justin-samuel-manry/leave-the-show

Here's a link to a video of me playing the song LIVE in concert the other night! Hopefully it works...

https://www.facebook.com/sisfrey/videos/10155541701623010/

Enjoy!

     Hope you had a good time learning about my latest musical achievement, and who knows? Maybe I'll bring back this series if I have time and there's enough demand... If not, as they say, I'll just keep being a candle in the wind...or you know, whatever...

Singing off for now,
Justin Samuel Manry

Look at that sweeeet sweet artwork by Caleb Kaczmarek...you should hire him for all your art needs!